May 21, 2008
State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Releases 2007
Base API, Growth Targets, and School Rankings
SACRAMENTO — State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today released the 2007 Base Academic Performance Index (API) report, growth targets, and school rankings that allow comparisons of California schools.*
The 2007 Base API, which is calculated using the results from spring 2007 testing, shows the percentage of elementary schools at or above the statewide performance target of 800 is 36.7 percent, up from 34.6 percent in 2006; middle schools is 24.6 percent, up from 23.9 percent; and high schools is 14.5 percent, up from 13.6 percent. (See Table A.)
"I'm pleased that California schools continue to rise to the challenge of high expectations," O'Connell said. "Our Academic Performance Index pushes schools to make improvements each year. Since the inception of the API, the median score for each decile ranking has increased each year. This reflects significant gains in student achievement in our schools.
"The release of the Base API also lets the public know how schools in their communities are doing in comparison to other schools in the state as well as in comparison to schools with similar socioeconomic characteristics. This bright light on school performance is an important element in our school accountability efforts."
The school API ranks allow a comparison of the performance at an individual school to others (statewide ranks) as well as to other schools with similar educational opportunities and challenges (similar schools ranks). The ranking shows where a school's 2007 API falls on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest).
Because test scores have been rising since the API was first developed in 1999, the score associated with each rank has also increased. In 1999, for example, an elementary school with an API score of 670 had a statewide rank of 7. Today, that same score yields a statewide rank of 1. (See Table B.)
The 2007 Base API report also provides information on growth targets that schools and all student subgroups are expected to meet. The 2007 Base API will be compared to the 2008 Growth API, which will be released in August 2008.
The Growth API report will reveal whether schools' performance is improving and whether they have met their growth targets.
The API reflects a school's composite academic achievement from a variety of statewide assessments. The API includes student test results from the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program and the California High School Exit Examination (CAHSEE). Subject areas include English-language arts, mathematics, science, and history.
The 2007 Base API represents the annual calibration of the state's accountability system to accommodate new assessments or other changes to the assessment or accountability system to allow comparison of results from one year to the next to measure school improvement.
This year, the major element in the 2007 Base API calibration is the introduction of the California Modified Assessment (CMA), which in 2008 was administered to some students with disabilities in grades three through five. Because the CMA was not offered in 2007, Base APIs for schools and districts with students in grades three through five have been adjusted to account for the change in the assessment program. This adjustment was necessary to preserve the comparability between the 2007 Base API and the 2008 Growth API.
Developed in response to federal requirements included in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the CMA was created for students with disabilities who meet a certain set of criteria.
"The purpose of the CMA is to allow students with disabilities to demonstrate that they meet the content standards in English-language arts, mathematics, and science. The CMA is an important addition to our assessment system that I wholeheartedly support," O'Connell said.
The 2007 Base API Reports, including school rankings and growth targets are posted on the API Web page at Academic Performance Index. Detailed information about changes to the 2007 Base API can be found in the Information Guide under the "2007 Base API Documentation" header.
Table A
Percentage of Schools with 1999 to 2007 Base APIs
At or Above the Statewide Performance Target of 800
Year |
Elementary Schools |
Middle Schools |
High Schools |
|---|---|---|---|
1999 |
13.1% |
10.7% |
4.9% |
2000 |
19.9% |
13.8% |
5.5% |
2001 |
20.9% |
14.6% |
5.3% |
2002 |
20.1% |
12.7% |
4.0% |
2003 |
26.3% |
15.6% |
7.4% |
2004 |
26.4% |
17.3% |
7.0% |
2005 |
31.8% |
20.6% |
11.9% |
2006 |
34.6% |
23.9% |
13.6% |
2007 |
36.7% |
24.6% |
14.5% |
Table B
Statewide Ranks for an Elementary School
with an API of 670 (1999 to 2007)
Year |
Rank |
|---|---|
1999 |
7 |
2000 |
5 |
2001 |
5 |
2002 |
5 |
2003 |
3 |
2004 |
3 |
2005 |
2 |
2006 |
2 |
2007 |
1 |
Table C
Statewide 2007 Base APIs
Overall and for Student Subgroups
Type |
Score |
|---|---|
African American (Not of Hispanic Origin) |
644 |
American Indian or Alaska Native |
697 |
Asian |
852 |
Filipino |
813 |
Hispanic or Latino |
666 |
Pacific Islander |
720 |
White (Not of Hispanic Origin) |
806 |
Socioeconomically Disadvantaged |
663 |
English Learners |
647 |
Students with Disabilities |
536 |
Overall |
728 |
Note: Tables A and C exclude schools in the Alternative Schools Accountability Model (ASAM), special education schools, and small schools. A "small school" is a school with fewer than 100 valid test scores.
* For a still photograph of today's news conference, please visit Year 2008 - Multimedia (CA Dept of Education)
